The "Guoxue" edition of China Reading News once published two tea culture articles "Tea Changes the World" and "The Art of Tea Drinking from Song Ci". What's interesting is that there are many vivid stories of Song Dynasty emperors giving tea to ministers in the Song Dynasty notebooks, and there are many teas given to them. These precious historical materials are very interesting to be sorted out for taste appraisal.
One is to give tea at the banquet. There were two kinds of tea drinking at the banquet in the Song Dynasty: one was serving in the "tea and wine class". For example, Zhou Mi’s "Nandu Dianyi" contains: "Fortunately to learn by car driving, the lecturer will give lectures, and the imperial medicine will preach and give tea. Whenever you drive out, there will be two lines of tea and wine class waiters in the Yiwei, 31 people each "It can be seen that the emperor also brought dozens of "tea and wine classes" when he went out for inspections and patrols.
The other is the emperor personally "cloth tea". For example, Huizong once made tea for ministers and bachelors himself. Cai Jing "Yanfu Palace Song Banquet": "December Guisi of the second year of Xuanhe, called the prince and other banquets at Yanfu Palace. He was ordered to take a tea set, personally inject the soup, hit the fingers and brush, a short period of white milk floating The noodles are like sparse stars and pale moons. Gu Zhuchen said: This is self-made tea. After drinking, thank you."
The second is to give tea to the temple. The imperial examination was a major event in the Song Dynasty, and the emperor or empress would give tea to the examiner and Jinshi. For example, Zhezong gave tea cakes to the examiner Zhang Shunmin, and Zhang Shunmin’s "Paintings and Records": "Yu Yuanyou Zhong set up a detailed examination of the palace, which is divided into annual examinations, and each is given three cakes. However, if the relatives know each other, they will be invincible. "It's almost impossible to win" means that it is not enough to distribute to relatives and friends. It shows that the tea is precious and the amount is small.
Another example is the Queen Guangxian of Renzong who gave tea to Jinshi. Wang Gong's "Jiashen Miscellaneous Notes": "In the Renzong Dynasty, the Spring Examination Jinshi Jiying Hall, the concubine Yu Taiqing Tower watched it. The kind holy light offered cakes to give the Jinshi, and Qibao tea to give the examiner." Mei Yaochen There is a poem "Qibao Tea": "Qiwu sweet and fragrant mixed stamen tea, the floating flowers are green and chaotic in the Xia." That is the case. (Ren Guozheng)
The third is to give tea with condolences. This is somewhat similar to the present gift for meeting or greetings, such as the gift of tea at the time of greetings. The "Song History and Li Zhi" contains: "ZTE still has the system: where the prime minister, the prince, the ruling, the minister, the Jiedu, and the foreign envoys see speeches and come During the dynasty, they all gave the banquet hall or the Duting Station, or gave tea and wine together as a ritual." "Zhongxing is still in the system" means that after the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty, it still followed the old system of giving tea and wine in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Another kind is that the courtier is outside Beijing. At this time, the emperor will ask people to bring tea to show his condolences. For example, Zhezong secretly asked Su Shi to give tea to him. Wang Gong’s Sui Shou Mi Lu: “The envoy arrives, and the secret predicate Zi Zhan said:'A certain teacher resigned from the capital, and the official said: resigned from the empress. A certain resigned from the Queen’s Palace, returned to the official’s place, and introduced a certain to Next to a cabinet, this corner whispered, saying: Give Su Shi, it is not known. Then the gift was given, it was a catty of tea, and the title was all royal pen.'"
We found that these stories about the emperor of the Song Dynasty giving tea are vivid and intriguing. The emperor of the Song Dynasty gave tea to the ministers, which deepened the relationship between the emperor and the ministers and enhanced the cultural sentiment. The courtiers were also grateful for the emperor’s tea. For example, Zhou Bida once wrote a grateful poem "Ruizhizhao and Retreat to Xuande Hall for Gifting Tea": "The green locust tree path gathers the faint crows, and the emperor proclaims to give tea. Return. When I went to Yutang, I was insomnia, and the crape myrtle flower was planted at the beginning of the moon hook." Another example is Ouyang Xiu's gratitude to Renzong in the "Paintings": "With extravagance, I can play with my friends and sing poetry, so Ouyang Yongshu There is "Long Tea Xiaolu"."
This makes us not help thinking that our country is advancing the establishment of a national honor system and the formulation of the "National Medal Law." In-depth study of the tea given by the emperor of the Song Dynasty gives us enlightenment:
1. Cicha pays attention to a variety of reward methods simultaneously. The gift of tea in the Song Dynasty was used as a reward system, and it was combined with other reward methods to form a synergy. For example, "Song Dynasty Chronicles": "Hong Mai selected "Tang Poetry Ten Thousands Quatrains", table advancement, Shouhuang Xuanyu: "The pavilion learning selection is very sophisticated, see Bo Qia, give tea 100 銙, Qing Fuxiang 10 stickers, Dong There are twenty sticks of incense and one hundred taels of gold." "Shouhuang" refers to the emperor over 60 years old, here is Emperor Xiaozong. We are currently formulating the "Administrative Reward Law", and we must also consider a variety of reward methods to achieve the best results.
2. Cicha emphasizes legalization and standardization. The Song Dynasty gave teas very standardized and very customized. The Song Dynasty specially made "Jing Ting" to reward ministers, and the royal family had "Dragon and Phoenix ornaments". For example, "Song History·Emperor Concubine Biography" contained: "The old ministers gave tea with dragon and phoenix decorations, and the Empress Dowager Mingde (the mother of Zhenzong) said: "How can anyone get this?" "This also further illustrates the necessity of my country's legislation on medals.
3. The tea-giving measures are meticulous and very maneuverable. For example, Cai Qi’s "Cai Kuanfu Poetry Talks" contains: "Huzhou purple bamboo shoots tea came out of Guzhu, between Chang and Lake two counties, with its sprout and purple like bamboo shoots. Every year it pays tribute to the ancestral temple in Qingming, and then Give near ministers." The source, procedure and scope of Qingming tea gifting are specified here in detail, which is meticulous and reasonable, and has strong operability. It can be seen that we must be careful and easy to operate when formulating the honor, award and medal system.
In short, the tea-giving system and mode of the Song Dynasty emperor is a kind of culture, a kind of system, and a kind of thought. As a big country in tea culture in the world today, this is worthy of further digging, discussing and summarizing.
